1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for bonding sheets carried out of an image formation apparatus such as a copier and printer to be a bunch, and when necessary, folding this bunch in a predetermined folding position, and more specifically, to an apparatus for enabling both a sheet booklet bonded with an adhesive and a staple-bound sheet booklet to be prepared corresponding to a request.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a processing apparatus has been known widely which collates sheets carried out of an image formation apparatus to bind with a staple or fold in the shape of a booklet. Further, an apparatus is also disclosed which binds sheets with a staple, then folds the sheets in two to be a booklet, and bonds sheets with or adhesive to fold in two, as required.
For example, in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 5168474, a unit storage section is provided to enable a staple binding unit for performing staple binding on a bunch of sheets and an adhesive binding unit for performing gluing on sheets and press-binding to be a bunch of sheets to be selectively stored, and each of the units is set detachably so as to enable one of the staple binding unit and the adhesive binding unit to be inserted in the unit storage section.
Further, a folding processing section is shown which folds the sheets bound with one of the units in two.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Gazette No. 5382597 shows an apparatus which is provided with two units of an adhesive binding unit for performing gluing on sheets and press-binding to be a bunch of sheets and a staple binding unit for performing staple binding, executes this unit selectively to perform fold processing, and which enables both the booklet by gluing and the booklet by staple binding to be prepared.
However, the apparatus as shown in above-mentioned Japanese Patent Gazette No. 5168474 enables one of the staple binding unit and the adhesive binding unit to be inserted in the unit storage section of the apparatus. Therefore, in the case of needing adhesive binding and in the case of needing staple binding, it is necessary to replace the staple binding unit and the adhesive binding unit every time, the replacement requires effort and time, and it is hard to change between adhesive binding and staple binding.
In this respect, in the apparatus as shown in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 5382597, since the adhesive binding unit and the staple binding unit are provided side by side along a sheet transport path, effort of replacement is not required unlike the apparatus of Japanese Patent Gazette No. 5168474. However, the adhesive binding unit and the staple binding unit are disposed in different apparatus frames, and the apparatus is increased in size. In other words, since different regions are set for sheets to operate the adhesive binding unit and sheets of the staple binding unit, apparatus regions are required respectively corresponding to the sheet length. Further, in the apparatus of Japanese Patent Gazette No. 5382597, a next sheet is carried in with the gluing side of a preceding sheet exposed in gluing sheets, and therefore, sheets are sometimes bonded at a portion at which the sheets are originally not bonded. Furthermore, since the sheets are transported and guided to the folding apparatus by a distance two times or more the sheet length up to the folding apparatus after gluing, the adhesive sometimes adheres to the apparatus.